However, I am always surprised at the number of candidates that don’t send a simple thank you note. A thank you note that is poorly written, or even worse, not sent, can keep you from getting the job you want even if all of your other qualifications are on point. There are other candidates out there with similar qualifications, but they show respect and appreciation with their sent thank you notes. By not sending one, you are showing that the job isn’t as important to you as it is to someone else, you have no appreciation for the interviewer’s time, and that common courtesy isn’t one of your strength. Even if you aren’t sure that you want to accept the position if it’s offered, in a small industry it is very possible you will come across the hiring manager again, so making a good impression will help you in the future.

Another thing to keep in mind is sending the thank you note quickly is paramount. Some employers expect a thank you note within 24 hours of the interview, which makes e-mail a great way to send it. However, something that is mass-produced is obvious, even over the internet. You don’t want them to feel that they are someone to simply check off your list, so it’s best to take steps to make them feel singled out. Make sure that your note mentions things that you talked about specifically in the interview and keep the rest of the content as original as possible.

Also sending a great hand-written thank you note is a way to set yourself apart. Again, reference something mentioned in the interview, let them know you were truly listening and are aware of the time they took out of their day for you, and you will add that extra touch of verve that helps you snag that job.

Please contact us to learn more about our expertise in Executive Search for Commercial Leadership positions in Medical Device and Biotechnology; including Marketing, Strategy, Sales Leadership, Training, Development, etc. We look forward to the opportunity to help you consistently improve your performance and your business!

You are eloquent and well educated (via life if not via some formal institution, though likely you now draw from experiences in both). You have a killer resumé, one that reads as a long list of proofs that you are: dynamic and adaptive and a team player and a leader, one who works his/her ass off, attends to details, and delivers, all at the same time, even while you believe firmly in work-life balance.

Plus you’ve interviewed before; heck, you’ve been the interviewer before. So what’s left to learn?

Here’s what matters, on the chance you were succeeding at something other than interviewing when #unnamedmajorculturalshiftintheemploymentsector happened. Ready?

1. Showing how you think under pressure (even when you don’t feel pressured): Questions are getting weirder: How many cows are in Wisconsin? How many quarters does it take, when stacked, to reach the top of the Empire State Building? Google “Forbes Oddball interview questions” for the elite list. Google “unusual job interview questions” for the less elite, clearly these are all over the place, list. In a rapidly evolving marketplace, one in which we cannot foresee the tasks to be demanded of us in five, ten, and fifteen years, how you think and what you might someday know have become every bit as important as what you currently think and know.

2. Proving you can build rapport swiftly (and without the cheese): This is particularly true in sales and management. We always had to be likeable as interviewees, but do you know that 79% of US laborers now work in the service sector? We sell knowledge, access, accommodation, information. Our labor is our product, and as we are our labor, this means likeability matters far more than ever before. No, really. As in: this is a qualitative shift of statistical significance. The Pre-Interview has changed. Preparing for an interview now demands critically thinking, before we walk in, about who but also how we are in each of our professional interactions. We think so that we can show.

3. Evincing cultural competence: Remember “multicultural” and “global” from the 1990’s? We had to imagine ourselves succeeding in a world that was newly aware of its interconnectedness and diversities. Now think transhistorical, transnational, identity-is-a-social-construction-that-operates-as-if-real-and-essential, and there-is-no-reality-anyhow. Yeah, another decade of postmodernist ideologies left us on shaky grounds when it comes to empirical reality (we are quick doubt, I mean), and one result of this? Our abilities to perform highly particularized knowledge sets, ones that extend from and in fact connect the micro-levels to the macro-levels of all that we do and think take on new import. Interviews are now events for performing cultural competence that is local as well as global and that is, furthermore, empirically evident.

Please contact us to learn more about our expertise in Executive Search for Commercial Leadership positions in Medical Device and Biotechnology; including Marketing, Strategy, Sales Leadership, Training, Development, etc. We look forward to the opportunity to help you consistently improve your performance and your business!

Whether you are between jobs, looking for new opportunities, or just keeping your options open, knowing how to write a cover letter or résumé is a valuable skill to have. It can also be a bit daunting, especially since a good résumé or cover letter requires a careful balance between content and concision. You want to showcase your experience, but you don’t want to inundate potential employers with long descriptions of it or give them an unfavorable impression of yourself. The following tips will help make your résumés and cover letters tastefully stand out.

Know the Company and the Position

In order to catch an employer’s attention, you need to show that you can offer exactly what that he or she is looking for. This means being familiar with the position and the company. What do they value most in a team member? What skills does the position demand? What qualities might they have difficulty finding in candidates? With just a bit of research, you can showcase experience that highlights the skills and attributes that the company needs most. You can do this research online, but you might also want to talk to people in the company. You will get a much more complete feel for what they are looking for by doing so.

Keep a Master Copy

This is especially true for résumés, but it can help with cover letters as well. As you learn what experience will be most valuable to a company, you will want to have a ready inventory of all of your own experience. Your master résumé will probably be much longer than anything you would ever give to an employer (which should generally be only a page), but it will give you a nice, convenient list to choose from as you tailor each résumé to its recipient’s needs.

Be Consistent

The formatting on your résumé or cover letter indicates your own level of professionalism. By keeping formatting consistent through every item on each document, you show that you care about the quality of your work. If anything is inconsistent, it looks sloppy, and it won’t get you the attention you need. Pay special attention to the placement of dates, spacing, headline and section formatting, and body text font and size.

Be Concise, but Thorough

It sounds a bit paradoxical, but the idea is that you should be as complete as the résumé or cover letter length will allow. Knowing the company will help a great deal with selecting which experiences to highlight. As you show your work history in a résumé, include details for the most relevant items and drop details from the less-relevant ones. Then point those out on your cover letter, in which you may elaborate briefly on one or two key points. Show how you can be an asset to the company, but don’t pile thick masses of data onto potential employers. They won’t bother wading through it.

Be Bold, but Professional

You want to stand out from everyone else, and having a bold, creative design for your résumé and cover letter can accomplish that. Using a larger, bolder font for your name, changing the layout of the résumé, and using interesting headers and borders can help grab the attention of a prospective employer. However, it is equally important to keep it as professional as possible. Keep formatting consistent and crisp, keep colors, if any, to a minimum, and avoid clutter. Keep it simple. The design should draw attention to you, not to itself.

These are just a few general ideas on how to show your best self to companies. For more information on getting your talent noticed, contact us.

Company Profile

"Prime-Core, Inc is an Executive Search Firm that is passionate about helping med tech companies meet their Human Capital needs in order to foster a team dedicated to success.
We believe there is a story behind every successful hire. One that stands the tests of time and truly transforms a good company to great company."